TPOH Updates from Incompletely Conspicuous

Kris and Dee still here, and with their album!

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:43:00 +0000

Doesn't seem like so long ago we were talking about Kris and Dee working on their first album, and now we have a cover, release date and party! Still Here Inside will drop independently May 5, available at Zap Records in Kingston Ontario and online at Kris and Dee's own new site.

A release show/party happens at the Grad Club in Kingston on Friday May 13th with special guest Sticky Henderson. The fun starts at 9pm with just 5 bucks for admission. But for now, you can get a preview of the album with a new track each day on their Facebook page and myspace page. So take a listen and post your best wishes for Abbott and McNeil!

Kris & Dee in the studio, Mrs. Berg in the Dragon's Den

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:55:00 +0000

Work is well underway on the debut album by Kris & Dee, along with their bandmates Anna Rees on drums and Will McGongal on bass. Occasionally poking their heads out of the studio to eat and do day jobs, they say the album should be ready by the spring.

Sooner than that - tonight, to be exact - Laura Berg will be appearing on the hit CBC-TV show Dragon's Den, in which budding entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a group of tough-minded people with lots of money to invest. What will the Dragons think of MySmartHands? Will Laura sic Fireese on them? Find out tonight at 8pm eastern on CBC (you can even join in on Laura's Twitter party during the show), or watch online after that.

Update: those outside of Canada can now watch on YouTube!

Kris and Dee back in Toronto, Mrs. Berg's Win, Master Tracks' New Season

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

To catch up yet again, we begin with Kris and Dee, who travel from the wilds of Kingston back to where we first met them in the Big Smoke. Busying themselves with more shows, adding members to their full-fledged band and even starting work on their first album, the Abbott-McNeils will make a triumphant return to Toronto with a show Thursday night at Slacks, 562 Church Street. There's no cover, and doors open at 8pm.

Another triumph recently as Laura Berg, lovely wife of Moe, won the 2010 SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur Of The Year Award for her work with MySmartHands. Along with prestige and press exposure, she receives a great array of prizes - from cash to mentorships - which she's putting toward taking her business even further. Congratulations, Mrs. Berg!

As for Mr. Berg, the latest season of Master Tracks is currently unfolding on AUX-TV, as Moe and Laurence Currie take more bands from "demo to download" in a day. Head to the website for info on catching the latest episode on tv or to watch online. Here's an episode featuring one of Moe's favorite bands of the last couple years, Stereo Goes Stellar.

Art For Moe's Sake

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:34:00 +0000

Over there is the work of Marc Eliuk, reminding us of the Moe we all remember. Marc did the portrait as part of his "The Artist Who Interviews" series, also talking to the Moe we know now about beginnings, "Master Tracks", influences, advice and even Monteforte (maybe he should have asked when the hell MF is ever playing again!). It's well worth checking out, as are the myriad examples of Marc's art on that site.

Also, word is a music magazine in the UK is doing a little something about Love Junk as part of a fairly prestigious list. Stay tuned for updates on that in the near future...

Kris and Dee Raising the Roof, etc.

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:25:00 +0000

And now to catch up with Kris and Dee, who have had a pretty amazing summer so far. After being part of the Save Our Prison Farms rally with none other than Margaret Atwood and doing a lot of writing on a vacation in Newfoundland, their gig schedule just keeps rolling on.

Tonight (yes, sorry for the late notice), they'll be playing at the Music Market Cafe in Napanee at around 9:20pm (only a $5 cover and two great acts preceding). Then next weekend, they're at the Raise the Roof Women's Music Festival in the Kingston area on Sunday afternoon at 1:30.

Since the new embed function on YouTube is being annoying right now, head over there to check out Kris and Dee performing three original songs at the recent Homegrown Music Festival: "Mars", "Presence of Me" and "Polar Bears".

Welcome U.S. iTunes! (finally)

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:48:00 +0000

Okay, so we'll be doing some catching up on things for the next short while, starting with a funny status message Moe put on Facebook: "Out of nowhere, the first two TPOH records appeared in the American iTunes store. A bit late but thanks Capitol Records."

Indeed, better late than never, and so folks in the U.S.A. can pick up Love Junk and the crazy-rare One-Sided Story here at their iTunes Store.

Since every country/region has to have its own separate iTunes Store (an annoyance to many people), a reminder (as suggested in the sidebar) that TPOH is also available to some extent in the iTunes Stores of Canada, the U.K., Ireland and Australia. But don't bother much with the biography, which mentions "drummer Dave Gilburg" and "Bran Barker on bass". :-)

Kris & Dee's May Day, Laura's app

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Sat, 01 May 2010 13:19:00 +0000

Sorry for the late notice, but if you're in the Kingston area tonight, celebrate May Day with Kris Abbott and Dee Abbott McNeil in a great night of music in The Living Room of The Mansion (506 Princess Street) with High Heels Lo-Fi and Music Maul. Cover is $10 and doors open at 9pm.

In other news of the ladies of TPOH :-) Laura Berg's My Smart Hands empire has expanded to your iPhone (or, in my case, iPod Touch). The MSH app is now available at the iTunes Store in full and Lite versions, starring Mrs. Berg in a video dictionary of all kinds of words for a baby to use with sign language, along with tips on how to remember them and tests to sharpen your skills anywhere a baby can take you. Head to the iTunes store here to pick it up!

Mrs. Berg, You've Got a Lovely Empire

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:42:00 +0000

Let's change the focus a little outside of music for a moment, because great things have been happening with Moe's lovely wife Laura (or as many call her, "Mrs. Berg"). Ten years after they started going out - and Moe's run as the romantic loser of Canadian rock came to an end - Laura's business has been featured in the big way in The Globe and Mail, "Canada's National Newspaper".

Trained as a teacher, when Laura was teaching baby daughter Fireese how to use sign language to communicate her wants before speech would catch up, she saw the benefit it had for her vocabulary and verbal skills later. Wanting to stay home with her, she came up with the idea for My Smart Hands, a business where she would teach baby sign language to other moms and kids. As part of the Your Business series, The Globe has featured Laura this month, talking about the history of the business and the techniques (including social media) she's employed to make it a global concern. Check out the video here! (Photo from Laura Berg's Facebook profile)

Master Tracks: Rides Again

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:09:00 +0000

Time to catch up on some more editions of "Master Tracks" with our friends Moe and Laurence. This time, the Oshawa power trio Rides Again head into Metalworks with hopes to bring "more angst" to their song "Time Bomb" - and changes to changes Moe had already made. But the collaboration comes together as Moe looks for chaos in a "guitar event" and Laurence helps by swinging a microphone over his head. Take a look here or below:

Kris and Dee video, and a big show to come

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:33:00 +0000

Here's a snippet of Kris and Dee at that show at The Mansion Thursday, by all accounts a wonderful set with great friends. (Just a reminder: Kris is on the left, Dee on the right.) But it doesn't end here.

"Canadian Musicians Support Prison Farms" will be happening March 20 at the Sydenham Street United Church in Kingston. On the bill with Kris and Dee will be Sarah Harmer, Luther Wright, the inimitable Fred Penner, Open Heart Society and Maya Thau-Eleff. Admission is $15 ($5 for those unemployed or under-employed) available at various Kingston locations. Check the Facebook event for details.

Kris and Dee: onstage...and on the farm?

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:52:00 +0000

They've been dipping their toes in the live show pool for a little while, but Kris and Dee Abbott McNeil are jumping in with a gig Thursday at The Mansion in their home base of Kingston, Ontario. They're pretty excited to have Anna Rees on drums and playing a proper set on a bill of some great Kingston musicians. It also bodes well for more live shows in the area coming this summer. For more info, check out their Facebook Event page and share your well-wishes for them - or even better, if you're in the area, let them know you'll be at the show!

Meanwhile, Kris has become active in the cause to help save six Canadian "prison farms": farms run by inmates for rehabilitation, to develop skills and provide food not just for the prisons themselves, but surrounding organizations like food banks and shelters. Introduced to the issue at a local town meeting (the Frontenac farm is in her area), she became fascinated by the achievements of the prison farms program and disgusted by the Federal Government's decision to scrap it. On Facebook, she wrote: "The decision of the Fed Government is nothing more than another American style adaptation of a WALMxxx business plan and a very dehumanizing approach to the future of Corrections in Canada."

She recently wrote a letter to her local MP, which was passed on to the Minister for Public Safety, and took part in a recent picketing event (getting up very early to hang out with a cow in the cold outside the CORCAN offices). To find out more, take a look at Kris' Facebook Notes or her Myspace blog post.

Master Tracks: Drive Faster

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:58:00 +0000

This time on Master Tracks, Moe and Laurence show that it takes a lot of meticulous (yet fun) work to make a song sound like it was done live off the floor in one take. The song in question: "Analog" by the Toronto-via-Calgary band Drive Faster, who had recently changed their name in the search for a new sound. They go a long way toward finding that sound - in between games of pool - with some help from Moe's Stratocaster and "delightful" lead vocals that make Moe feel like he's been drinking. Enjoy it all here or below:

Master Tracks: Mamabolo

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:41:00 +0000

In this edition of Master Tracks, the director gets some direction, as film festival favourite Rob Stefaniuk (Suck, Phil the Alien) plays keyboards for Mamabolo (named after the lovely Barb up front), whose track "Close Your Eyes" gets the demo-to-download-in-a-day treatment. Moe and Laurence take what was a "Rush-style arrangement" and put all the cool things in order, with the help of a bass from a garage sale and some delicious Italian sandwiches. Check it out here or below:

And while we're here, there's also a swell web bonus video in which Moe ushers us into the glamorous world of guitar tuning. Enjoy here, or down there:

Ambers For Christmas...and Boxing Week!

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Behold the mighty Suchy Sisters of St. Albert, aka The Ambers. Last week, Renée and her sisters put on "The Canadian Christmas Canon", a concert with holiday music new and old and vaguely-related, and you can find it all from Concerts On Demand on CBC.ca for your gift-wrapping or opening pleasure - and it IS a pleasure (turns out Renée's sisters are as funny as she is).

But that's not all. Though the CD they made with Moe lo these many months ago, Rain and Sun, has been on CD Baby for a while, next week it gets a proper release party. Not only will the ladies be rocking it out live at The Ivory Club in Edmonton December 28, Moe (who just happens to be home for the holidays) will be playing alongside them! If you're anywhere near the City of Champions, hightail it on your snowmobile for an amazing night - until we can drag the girls out for more shows in other places.

Master Tracks: Diemonds

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:44:00 +0000

In this edition of Master Tracks, Diemonds bring the rock for "Little Miss", but Moe starts feeling like he's trying to turn around a bad date. With a few beers and a lesson in "Arrangement 101", though, things do indeed turn around. Check it out here or below:

Master Tracks: Big Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:56:00 +0000

This time on Master Tracks, Big Ideas accepts some of Moe and Lawrence's ideas for their song "Set a Fire". Moe tries not to mess with the bassist's "contrary motion," the guitarist learns a new chord, the boys pick prettiness over twang and the drummer tries not to lose his shirt. Check it out here or below:

Kris and Dee Lose My Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:45:00 +0000

The latest song posted by Kris Abbott and her wife Dee Abbott-McNeil was actually born of Dee's day job as a physiotherapist and educator in elder care in Kingston, Ontario. According to Kris' blog post on their myspace page, Dee was preparing a conference presentation about Dementia, and when she sought stories to give a more human perspective on the condition, she found a woman in the UK who has been keeping a photo journal of her experiences with her mother, who lives with Dementia. A collaboration began for which music was needed. Kris describes her role in the project as "co writer and musical interpretor of the photo journal collaboration. ie.. producing I suppose and getting the music to match their evolution between technical and emotional."

Read the blog post for more details about creating the song, but more importantly, check out the song itself, "Lose My Mind", on the main Kris and Dee myspace page or their ReverbNation page on Facebook.

Master Tracks: Everything All the Time

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:53:00 +0000

In this edition of Master Tracks, studio virgins Everything All the Time set a record (longest day? shortest day? most gang vocals?) working on their song "Love Love" with Moe and Laurence, who have to navigate FIVE sets of keyboards. Look out for Laurence's secret mic technique, drums that are "more April Wine than AC/DC" and the use of a rattlesnake. Take a look here or below:

Master Tracks: Turn Off the Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:04:00 +0000

And so the new season of Master Tracks begins with Toronto band Turn Off the Stars taking "Heartbeats" from demo to download in a day (give or take 10 minutes) with the guidance of Moe and Laurence. The band finds a focus after being around the block in the music business, Moe plays bass during an intonation crisis, Laurence finds "no love in this coffee," and the band literally sings Moe's praises for the traditional gang vocals. Check it out here or below:

And in an AUX web exclusive, Moe relates a cautionary tale for musicians who didn't play before the age of ProTools. Watch here or below:

Welcome for real! Master Tracks Preview Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:50:00 +0000

YES! It may have taken just a slightly shorter time than it took to release The Downward Road, but the Updates blog is here. If you had been going to the Updates section of Incompletely Conspicuous for the latest (sort of) news on TPOH-related stuff, this is now where you'll go instead. I've copied the Updates posts from the past two years (not much) and put them here, so for stuff from 2006 and before, you can still meander through what will now be the Updates archive. The Updates links on the main site will be changed (uh...eventually) to direct you straight here. Of course, there are other changes and tweaking to be done, so hang in there.

Oh, I should mention: I haven't started this new chapter of the Updates because there's actual band news, like they're getting back together or anything. Everything is as it's been, with everyone leading their own lives and crossing paths from time-to-time (yikes...I should be updating the "To Review" page on the site. New babies have been born, people have moved, jobs have changed...) and there are no new reunion plans. Seriously. So the Updates continue to be mainly about life going on, and any remnants of the past that come back to pleasantly haunt them. :-)

Now, let's get down to business!

The big news lately has been the promo push for Master Tracks, Moe's series with Laurence Currie where they produce a young band "from demo to download in one day," mainly because their home at AUX.TV is making the leap from the internet to digital television tomorrow and the second season is currently in production. New episodes should be embedded here as they come in, but you can catch up on the first season at Master Tracks' online home.

Leading up to all this, Moe and Laurence have been making the media rounds talking about the show, the AUX tv launch and life in general. You can check out the coverage at Torontoist and at Dose.ca. Moe also had a chat with Kevin McGowan on The Ruckus podcast at rabble.ca, including a couple of the finished demos, as well as a couple TPOH tracks for good measure. Take a listen here!

Welcome to the test

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:27:00 +0000

Really? The Updates section of tpoh.net is FINALLY turning into a blog? After she's talked about it since the start of the year?

Yeah...well, at least I've gotten this far.

More Pursuit Babies!

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Seems like it would take some big stuff to finally get me to update here. In fact, it takes some little stuff.

This morning at 12:36am, more than a week late, Hartford Jack Berg arrived in the world. Dad Moe reports that everyone is fine. This reminds me to also update you that in late May, Renée gave birth to Brynn Renée. So congratulations to the Bergs and the Strains: parents, siblings and the new Pursuit Babies!

Moe Makes Master Tracks, Ambers on CDBaby

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 02:07:00 +0000

Yes, it's been a while. Here are some things to catch up on.

Moe and longtime friend Laurence Currie have been hard at work on a project called "Master Tracks" for Aux, part of the website/digital TV channel BiteTV. Each episode follows a young band in the studio with Moe and Laurence as they take one song from "demo to download". The first episode airs tonight on the tv channel, and will then be available on the site. Last Wednesday, Moe talked about the project (and the Blackhawks) with Dave Bookman on 102.1 The Edge, and you can download an eight-minute .mp3 of the chat here.

Meanwhile, out west, Renée and her awesome sisters, otherwise known as The Ambers, now have their album (produced by Moe) available for sale on CDBaby! Rain and Sun features Renée's lead vocals on four tracks. She wrote three songs on her own, and co-wrote with Moe on two, while Moe wrote "Endless Summer" and co-wrote "City Lights" with Melanie Himli. Hear samples and order here.

Mrs. Berg a Savvy Mom, Mr. Berg on Rundgren Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:56:00 +0000

A couple pieces of good news from the Berg camp. Not long after Moe got back from London, Ontario (where he was producing a record with Photocell: "Pop For People Who Hate Pop Music"), he learned that Laura had won the SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur Award for Ontario, putting her business My Smart Hands in the top 5 for the country! So major congrats to Mrs. Berg and thanks to anyone who voted.

Not long after, Moe guested on the internet radio show/podcast "Rundgren Radio", which is a part of BlogTalk Radio by Todd fans for Todd fans. While Moe didn't tell us about this until after the fact (as often happens...), you can still listen to the show here.

Mrs. Sleaze Onstage, Moe the Teacher

noreply@blogger.com (Valerie) — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:41:00 +0000

Another remarkable night for Monteforte at the Horseshoe last Friday, and to think it was all because of last year's show. Brad From Halifax ("I recommend being in a band in your '40's - it really breaks up the week.") explained that show was a "showcase" for all sorts of music bigwigs, and the band impressed them so much, they won the chance to return this very night. The MF'ers showed their appreciation by giving all they could give and probably some more. Among the highlights: each set kicked off with a Loverboy song ("The Kid Is Hot Tonight" and "Hot Girls In Love" respectively), a delightful "Love Will Keep Us Together"; their continuing support of their hearing-impaired fans (it makes sense many of MF's biggest fans can't really hear them...) by playing "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" with sign-language by Mrs. Sleaze, mother of The Most Famous Signing Baby On the Internet; a new Most Recent Song in the form of Clay Aiken's "Invisible" and a stellar version of Doucette's "Mama Let Him Play" with an extended solo by The Clapper. Simply remarkable. MP3s of highlights are on the way, but for now, enjoy this little taste of the action on youtube! (Thanks to Dave Cyr for the photo here and the new ones on the MF page. If you're so enclined, he has a whole set on Facebook.)

In other news, noted Vikki Sleaze doppleganger Moe Berg will be part of this year's Summer Writing School at the University of Toronto, which involves 11 professionals from a wide range of writing disciplines conducting intense workshops the week of July 7th. Although Moe was invited through his literary connections, he'll of course be teaching songwriting, with some guests to help out. For more details, check out the site for the School of Continuing Studies here.